


It Comes In Waves (Promare Lifeguard & Surfer AU)

by smallish_bird



Category: Promare (2019)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Lifeguards, Alternate Universe - Surfers, Domestic Fluff, Gen, Light Angst, Light on the Romance, Mild Blood and Injury, Slice of Life, Slow Build, heavy on the emotional bonding, just chilling mostly, rated for language
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-27
Updated: 2020-03-02
Packaged: 2021-02-24 15:42:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,979
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21980368
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smallish_bird/pseuds/smallish_bird
Summary: Galo makes friends with a surfer who's new in town and has to confront some difficult truths.Lio's plans to live a quiet life are uprooted after being saved by an overly-enthusiastic lifeguard.
Relationships: Burning Rescue Members & Galo Thymos, Gueira/Meis (Promare), Lio Fotia & Gueira & Meis, Lio Fotia/Galo Thymos
Comments: 25
Kudos: 109





	1. Chapter 1- Ice Cream Friends

The sun glints off of the ocean beyond Galo’s sunglasses, blue skies and bluer water tinted black. A red plastic whistle dangles lazily between his lips. Waves crash and kids laugh. Leaning forward in his chair, he rests his arms on his knees and scans the shore. He spends a moment watching a boy move further out, but sees his dad call him back to safety and continues his sweep. A crackling to his left draws his attention from watching sand pipers run from the oncoming waves.

“Galo. Shift is almost up.” 

“Cool beans Remi,” he told the walkie-talkie. The static snaps on the other end before Galo hears him sigh.

“Your expressions get dumber by the day.”

“Admit it, you love ‘em.” Galo can almost see him massage the bridge of his nose the way he always does when he’s annoyed.

“Love is… a strong word. But sure. Whatever will get you to stop finding new, even worse ones.” 

“Not gonna happen.” 

“Of course not.” Galo laughs and checks the beach one last time. His focus drifts out to a group of surfers. For a few minutes, he watches them, breaking away occasionally to make sure nobody’s drowning.  


Hands tapping on the tower snaps him out of his trance. Aina looks up at him and smiles. 

“Looking a little distracted,” she teases. He pushes himself out of the chair and hangs over the railing.

“Boring day, been sitting still for way too long.” Her blue eyes sparkle behind light red ovular shades. 

“You know, normal people would be happy that nothing serious happened.” 

“I’m not saying I want someone to do something stupid… I’m just saying that if I have to sit and do nothing for much longer I think I’ll go crazy.” Aina shakes her head and smiles. 

“Want to walk with me to go get ice cream?” 

“That’s not even a question.” Galo slides under the rail and plants his feet in the sand. He nods at Varys, who’s here to take his place, and falls into step with Aina. 

“So, ‘Na, how’re things?” 

“Things are pretty good. School is school. Went to the library yesterday and finished an essay. All in all, pretty boring. You?” 

“Good, good. Just been working out and doing this, not a whole lot else.” Aina checks her watch and glances at him. 

“And Kray?” Raising his muscular arms above his head, Galo shrugs.

“Hasn’t talked to me since.” Aina tightens her ponytail as they make it to the street, making a noise of disgust under her breath.

“What a jerk. It’s been three months. You’d think that would be enough time to get over any stupid grudge he might have.” The two cross to the storefront. Sunburned tourists stroll past them on the sidewalk.

“Nah. You think I’m stubborn? He’s the one I learned it from.” Bells jingle as Aina opens the door. Her mouth presses into a concerned frown. 

“I know, but still…” Galo pats her shoulder, focusing on the list of flavors.

“Can’t fix everything ‘Na.” She sighs.

“Sadly. Can I get Neapolitan please?” 

“Rocky Road for me.” The bells announce more customers as Aina and Galo sit down across from each other with their ice cream. Galo swipes a spoonful of Neapolitan before Aina can fend him off. She pulls the rest of her ice cream closer and wraps an arm around it. 

“Galo I swear you’re like a tall seagull.” Feigning shock, he scoops Rocky Road into his mouth. A dreamy smile spreads across his face.

“Mmm, marshmallows.” Aina pushes her sunglasses onto her forehead and swipes Galo’s from off of his face. 

“You’ll ruin your eyes.” He takes the glasses and hangs them on the collar of his white lifeguard shirt. 

“Okay mom.” Aina rolls her eyes. They sit quietly, savoring the cold sweetness. Galo rests his chin on his hand and observes the people who walk into the shop. 

At the counter stand three guys in rash guards and board shorts. Taking a second look, Galo recognizes them as some of the surfers he'd been watching earlier. 

The tallest of the group is a willowy guy with long, smooth black hair. He and the other, a long-legged gangly redhead with a mischievous grin, debate over different flavors. The shortest turns to shush them with an annoyed expression on his face. Despite his small stature and what Galo guesses is a year or two's age-difference, he holds a noticeable air of authority over the group. His friends laugh and apologize before ordering.

Galo takes a second look at the tiny leader of the trio. He’s kind of… pretty. Platinum blonde, almost green bangs frame his face, and his violet eyes are striking, even from a distance. Galo wonders absentmindedly how the guy keeps his skin looking so nice.

They all order and follow him to a table near the back. Leaning on their chairs, they talk quietly, with an occasional laugh rising from the red-haired one. 

"Helloo? Earth to Galo?” Blinking, Galo’s eyes focus on Aina. 

“Hm?” She turns around in her chair to look at what’s distracting him.

“Do you know them?” Galo nods, a spoonful of ice cream in his mouth.

“Saw ‘em earlier,” he says after swallowing, “Surfing.” He thinks for a moment over a couple more bites of ice cream, then stands up.

“I’m gonna say hi.” Aina sighs and, after a moment’s hesitation, follows suit. She waves off his wide grin, holding back a smile herself.

“What? There’s no harm in being friendly.”

“That’s the spirit!” 

The two walk over to the other table, Galo taking the lead. The three look up at him with varying levels of annoyance.

“Hey, I saw you out there today, you guys are pretty good!” The long-haired one makes eye contact with the both of them and smiles.

“Oh, thank you. You’re lifeguards, I take it?” 

“You bet we are! I’m Galo, by the way.” 

“And I’m Aina. It’s nice to meet you..?” 

“Meis.” He nudges the slouching redhead with his elbow. 

“Name’s Gueira. ‘N that’s Lio.” The two of them shoot a glance at their friend, who’s been watching the exchange with a neutral, disinterested expression. His eyebrows raise slightly as Galo offers his hand. 

“Good to meet you! You guys new around here? Don’t think I’ve seen you before.” Lio sizes him up warily before giving his hand a shake. 

“We just moved here." His voice was deeper than Galo expected. Serious and quiet. 

“Came to get away from some of the city ruckus, y’know? And the surf,” Gueira adds. Aina nods in agreement, then exclaims quietly.

“Oh wait, I thought I recognized you! By any chance, do you work at the grocery store on Second Street?” Gueira laughs, leaning forward on his elbows. 

“Yeah, just started a couple weeks ago. You look kinda familiar too. Hard to forget the hair. Which I dig, by the way.” 

“Thank you, yours is neat too! How in the world did you get that two-tone effect?”

“Not gonna lie, Meis was just messing around and it turned out like that. Speakin’ of hair,” Gueira turns to Galo,” dude. Your’s is like… physically impossible.”

“How does it even work?” Meis stares at Galo’s long, spiky blue hair. Galo rubs a hand over the back of his neck and laughs.

“I dunno, lots of blow-drying I guess.” They joke about how high his electricity bill must be until Lio pushes his chair out from the table. The conversation falters.

“Meis, it’s almost 1:00.” Lio then proceeds to stand, grab his ice cream (Galo suspects it’s mango sherbert), and walk out the door. Meis gives an apologetic look to the two of them. 

“Sorry, but he’s right, we have to go. I have work.” Gueira groans and pushes him on the arm.

“Dude, I told you that your hours are trash.” Meis rolls his eyes and stands up with Gueira.

“Guess we’ll see you around,” Gueira says as he turns towards the door. Meis gives a small wave, grabbing his strawberry ice cream. 

“Later!” Galo and Aina wave back as the door’s bells stop ringing behind the trio. Aina exhales and tucks a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

“How do you do that without getting nervous?” Galo gestures upwards, palms towards the ceiling.

“Every stranger is just a friend you haven’t met yet! That’s my motto.”

“What if they don’t like you?” They sit back down and eat more of their melting ice cream.

“Well then, they’re just not _your_ friend.” A few bites later, he looks across the table at her.

“Why do you ask?” Aina prods at the Neapolitan with her yellow spoon. She thinks for a moment.

“Guiera and Meis were nice, but the other guy, Lio? He probably hates us.” 

“Huh, I guess? To me, he didn’t really seem to feel strongly about much of anything. He was just distant, I think.” 

“I don't see it, but you're usually right about things like that. But it would make sense. We’re annoying.” He leans back, feigning hurt.

“We? How could you include me?” Aina swats at him.

“It was your idea in the first place!” 

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” He sticks the blue spoon in his mouth, wiggling the handle at her. 

“You’re an idiot,” she snickers.

After that, Galo sees Guiera and Meis around pretty frequently. He and Guiera talk about the surf while Galo’s buying groceries. Meis waves whenever he sees that Galo is on duty. The three of them, along with Aina, exchange numbers once they run into each other at the gym and figure that they can’t avoid each other even if they want to.

In the back of his mind, Galo can’t help but wonder about Lio. Meis said once that he was working when they were at the beach, and at the gym Gueira mentioned that he prefers to work out alone. He’s just busy.  


Or maybe he really does hate them. 

Galo feels bad. He probably came on too strong.


	2. Chapter 2- Grey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Galo misses his family. Lio goes out to surf alone.

Galo wakes up 10 minutes before his alarm goes off. Half-awake, he dances across the cool kitchen floor and stuffs some fresh produce into the blender.

He sips his smoothie, scrolling through his phone. A text notification dings.

_Remi: Don’t come in today. Your next shift is tomorrow at 7:00am._

_Remi: And I don’t care how bored you are, you cannot show up on your day off again. Lucia will run you off with a broom._

_Galo: k_

Fingers tapping idly on the back of his phone, he slumps over the kitchen counter and stares at the message.

“Ugh,” he rests his head on the cold countertop and closes his eyes.

Aina always says he should relax, but Galo doesn’t want to. He could be using his time so much more productively than… whatever you do when you’re relaxing. Nothing, he guesses. Sounds terrible.

Chugging the rest of the smoothie, he puts on a pair of black running shorts and grabs his tennis shoes. Galo pulls as much of his hair as possible away from his face into a messy ponytail. He blows a short piece of hair out of his eyes.

The sacrifices he makes to have cool hair.

Water bottle, phone, keys, and headphones in hand, Galo locks the door of his apartment and finds his running playlist.

The rhythm of his shoes hitting the cement matches the beat of the song blasting in his ears. He hums along until he runs out of spare breath. The streets blend together in the hazy sunrise.

Finally, he slows, allowing his burning calves to rest. He’s at his usual turn-around point by the flower shop. Sitting on the curb, he takes deep breaths and leans back on his hands, happy for the cool weather.

He turns his face upwards, the breeze pulls at his hair as he watches the overcast sky. It reminds him of waves, silently churning. The thought is a weight on his chest.

He’ll never get away from it, huh?

Once he takes another moment to rest and drink some water, Galo heads back.

By the time he makes it to his apartment, he’s successfully worn himself out. Dragging himself up the stairs, he faceplants on his bed and groans.

“Twenty minutes won’t kill me,” he mumbles into his pillow. He slips off his shoes and shuts his eyes against the sheets.

* * *

Lio wakes up to shut off his third alarm feeling restless. Squinting, he looks up at the ceiling fan and grimaces, a headache hovering around his temples. He waits for his tired eyes to focus and checks his phone. Just as he hopes, the conditions are his favorite: big swells and dark skies left by a passing storm.

He puts on the socks he’d managed to kick off in his sleep and, smoothing his hair absentmindedly, makes his way down the stairs into the kitchen. A purple sticky note greets him as he goes to get some cereal. Peeling it off of the cabinet, he hopes the small, neat writing doesn’t say what he thinks it’ll say.

_At work. Gueira’s shift is over at 3:00 and mine is until closing. Stocked up on groceries. There are Hot Pockets in the freezer. Don’t let those be the only thing you eat though.  
\- Meis _

Beneath that, in Gueira’s much messier writing:

_P.S. eat a vegetable dumbass._

Who do they think they are, his parents? Lio can have Hot Pockets for breakfast if he wants to.

But, more importantly, shit. Of course they have to work the day that the surf is best. Now he’s stuck without a partner, which means no surfing.

Sometimes he really hates that rule. He knows the dangers of going out alone, but really? He can handle himself. He’s not an idiot.

If Gueira and Meis were here, they’d probably bring up how maybe if Lio would make some friends, things like this wouldn’t happen. Which... begrudgingly, he’d admit they’d be right about.

To be fair, most of it is his fault. Lio’s achingly aware of how rude he can come off as being. He doesn’t mean it, not entirely at least. But there’s no point in forming connections just to hurt them once Lio inevitably ices them out.

Lio decides to stop thinking about it, a mix of guilt and frustration settling over him. It’s too early to be doing this.

After having a bowl of Fruit Loops and a cup of coffee in silence, Lio lets his impulsivity get the best of him.

“Fuck it, just this once,” he mutters, yanking his closet doors open. The water is bound to be cold after all of the rain, so he grabs his favorite long sleeved wetsuit, the black one with bright teal and pink triangular designs on the arms, and goes into the garage for his board. As he’s leaving, he's sure to put on half a bottle of sunscreen. Knowing his skin, he'll probably be burnt before he makes it into the water if he doesn't, even with the considerable cloud layer.

After some consideration, he decides to leave his phone at home. It’s a five minute walk to the beach from his house, and Lio doesn’t plan to be out for longer than half an hour. He’ll be fine.

The pavement is still damp, and a cold wind ruffles his hair as he walks down the street. Nobody else seems to want to be out in the dull weather, so Lio is alone. He likes it that way.

Circling seagulls cry above him. The ground is gradually replaced by sand beneath his feet. He breathes in the salty air, a wild freeness bursting in his chest. His walk turns into a jog, then a run, until he’s flying down the dunes towards the crashing waves.

The water rolls around him, rocking his slight frame as he slides onto his board. Paddling, he dives beneath the oncoming wave, the wall of icy water leaving him gasping once he breaks through the other side.

A determined smile creeps onto his face. Being out in the grey expanse, waves rising and falling like the lungs of some great beast, all of his problems sink to the bottom. All that’s left are him and his board against the sea.

* * *

After a nap, a shower, and a granola bar, Galo takes to doing small tasks around the house. Midway through dusting, his phone rings.

Galo nearly flings the feather duster against the wall in his scramble to answer the FaceTime. 9:12, right on time.

“Galo!” Bright blue eyes fill the screen. Galo lies down on the couch and beams back at the camera.

“Kelsi!” His sister pulls the phone away from her face and pulls their old golden retriever Peanut into view.

“Hey buddy,” Galo says, fingers gravitating towards the screen.

Which is dumb, he tells himself, it’s not like he can pet a dog that’s across the country.

“He’s doing okay. A little bit wheezy, but besides that he’s healthy! Isn’t that right baby,” she scratches him behind the ears. Peanut’s tail thumps against the floor.

“Good to hear! And what about a certain high school student? Surviving?” Kelsi groans, wrapping her arms around Peanut’s neck.

“Barely. I just want it to be over! It’s only been a year and a half and I’m so stressed it’s not even funny.” She perks up, pushing her brown hair behind her ear.

“But,” she adds, “Coach says I’m doing great in Basketball. If I keep practicing once the season ends, she says I might have a shot at Varsity next year.”

“That’s awesome! I’m really proud of you Kels.” Their eyes meet, and Galo feels like the homesickness might drown him.

“How about you? What’re you doing?” He clears his throat.

“Ah, not much. Saving people at the beach, working out, spending time with friends.” Peanut lies down, resting his head on Kelsi’s knee.

“Sounds like the life,” she laughs.

“Oh, mom wanted me to ask you how you’re feeling. You know… after the issue with Kray Whoresight and all that.” Galo shakes his head, holding back a laugh.

“Such language,” he says, “I’m disappointed.” She rolls her eyes, smile shining through her neutral expression.

“Shut up. He deserves it anyways. And,” she taps the screen, “you’re doing it again.”

“Doing what?”

“Avoiding the question, dingus.” Galo sighs dramatically.

“You caught me. Tell mom I’m doing fine. I’ve got good friends who are willing to support me through-”

“Sounds like you’re reading from a cue card. Did you rehearse this?”

Yes. Subconsciously, he’s been fine-tuning the reassurances he’d give to his mom for weeks.

“I try to make a joke, you say I’m avoiding the question. I say something sincere, and you accuse me of phoning in. Will I ever be able to please you?”

“Sure, when you give us a straight answer,” she glances downwards, “You know, we just wanna make sure you’re okay. But you have to be honest about what’s going on. With us, and with yourself.” Galo blinks.

“Man… that was deep.” She grins, holding up a notecard.

“Glad you like it, mom wrote it.”

“You’re a total hypocrite,” Galo groans. Kelsi snickers and looks down at the card.

“Oh, one more thing.” She holds the paper up to the camera.

In his mom’s almost cursive: _Meet any girls?_

Below it, in green pen, his sister had added: _Or boys? ;-)_

Galo pretends to consider sharing his personal life with someone who would hold it over his head for the rest of his life.

“Nah. Well, see you later Kels. Bye Peanut.”

“Oh my god Galo! You can’t just-” He hangs up, laughing to himself and trying to ignore the gaping hole in his chest.

He misses his family. The family that he abandoned, and forced to pretend like everything was normal even though Galo had chosen a pipe dream over them.

Kelsi is happy to admit that she’s still a little bitter. And his mom, despite being the one who encouraged him in the first place, is obviously sad. How could she not be.

Galo scoffs. He can’t believe he chose surfing over the people that love him most.

Surfing, of all things.

“I’m a terrible person,” he mutters, anger aching behind his eyes.

He needs to get away.

Grabbing his keys and helmet from the hook by the door, he walks down the stairs and starts his motorcycle.

There are a lot of places he could go, but he has a specific one in mind as he navigates the side streets.

His thoughts have gotten louder these past few years, and with that arose a need to go someplace quiet to untangle them.

The first time he drove through this neighborhood was after Kray told him to quit Junior Lifeguards. Galo didn’t often argue with him, but the thought of losing steady contact with his friends and instead spending all of his time training with Kray set him over the edge. Storming off was pretty far off from being the most mature thing to do, but a walk along the waterline helped clear his head.

The habit never broke, even though it feels like a lifetime ago that he was a teenager.

Galo parks a block away from the beach and does his best to smooth his messy helmet-hair. A solid ceiling of dark clouds hangs above his head, compressing the world around him. He misses the sun. Weather like this really puts out his mood.

Tugging the sleeves of his lightweight windbreaker to cover his wrists, he quickens his pace towards the beach. The steady rumble of crashing waves is therapeutic.

Shoes in hand, the wind leads Galo along as he walks over the dunes. The beach appears empty. That’s good. His eyes turn towards the water.

Somebody’s out there, waiting for the next set of waves. Galo recognizes the light hair instantly. Lio!

His excitement is overshadowed by concern when he realizes that Gueira and Meis aren’t out there with him. He’s alone.

Galo sits down on the sand. Remi’s exasperated voice, asking Galo if he really spent his day off doing his job anyways (except without the pay), is already echoing in his head.

But he doesn’t mind. In all honesty, Galo’s happy to have something to keep his mind busy. He decides that he’s going to watch out for Lio whether he wants it or not.

Then, of course, he’ll be more than happy to leave him alone.

He’s not sure how long he’s sitting there, half-focused on Lio and the rest of his mind occupied with his family.

At the edge of his vision, he sees Lio disappear beneath a wave. Nothing too out of the ordinary. You can’t surf without wiping out.

But as the seconds stretch on, there’s no sign of Lio resurfacing.

Dread wells up in Galo's chest. He knows how easy it is to get pinned beneath a wave. How terrifying it is to not know which way is up. His heart skips a beat just thinking about it.

Galo pulls off his jacket and drops his phone in the sand next to his sneakers, breaking into a sprint down the dune. Taking a deep breath, he plunges into the cold water. Currents tear at his limbs and clothes, their frigid fingers trying to drag him deeper.

He surfaces, inhaling sharply. It’s almost too deep to stand, so he takes to treading water as he searches for any sign of Lio.

There: a flash of white in the dark choppy water. He ducks beneath another wave and pushes off of the bottom towards where he saw the board’s edge.

I got you Lio. Just hold on. Please.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to JuliassicPark for helping me work out some of the details for Galo's family!


	3. Chapter 3- Staying Alive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (warning for those sensitive to mild blood and/or mention of injury)
> 
> what you're all here for: That One Scene
> 
> Galo is glad Lio didn't drown. Lio is trying his best to ignore his problems and how radiant Galo is.

  
The first thing that’s obvious to Galo is the blood. 

As he steadies Lio’s unconscious form on the board, Galo keeps half of his attention on the oncoming set while he checks the nasty gash on Lio’s forehead. Fortunately, it isn’t as severe as it looks. Far from the worst injury from a surfboard that Galo’s seen. It seems to him that Lio wiped out, hit his head on his board, then got caught beneath a wave and dragged across the rocks below, judging by the scrapes on his pale skin. 

Galo’s more worried about the fact that Lio seems to be out cold. He checks on Lio’s pulse. Score one for Thymos, it’s doing pretty well.

The water writhes around them as Galo carefully guides the board back to shore. Salt stings his eyes and burns his throat, but he keeps a quick pace. Galo drags the board above the waterline and takes Lio into his arms. 

“Oh,” he exclaims quietly. He’s lighter than Galo expected. It’s never occurred to him how small of a person Lio really was. He just carries an air of grace and authority that makes him seem… well, taller than 5’2”.

Setting Lio down a safe distance from the water, Galo runs to grab his phone. 

“Dispatch 15, how can I help you?”

“Hey, I’m calling from Garland Beach. My friend wiped out. He hit his head and he’s unconscious.”

“Are there any open wounds?”

“Yeah, on the right side of his forehead. The bleeding is still kind of bad.”

“Can you gently apply pressure to the wound?”

“Mhm,” he puts the dispatcher on speaker. His med pack was all the way back at his bike, so his shirt would have to substitute for gauze. He's glad he isn’t wearing white today. Getting blood out of that would be a nightmare.

“An ambulance is en route.”

“Cool.”

Galo brushes back Lio’s wet bangs and holds the shirt against his skin. For a moment, he’s a bit stunned. Mostly because it was the first time Galo has seen his elusive eyebrows. Which were very neat and symmetrical.

Focus idiot. Make sure he’s breathing instead of just staring at him.

Opening Lio’s mouth slightly, Galo listens for a few seconds. Whatever he was hoping to hear, short, rasping breaths sure wasn’t on his list.

Well that’s not good at all. 

“Hey, uh, 911 person? You still there?”

“Yes.”

“He’s not breathing too great. Probably swallowed a bunch of water. I’m gonna do CPR.”

“Do you need instructions?”

“Nah, I’m certified. Thanks though.”

Galo feels his heart rate rise. Thankfully, adrenaline and training are quick to drown out his mounting worry. That, and humming Stayin’ Alive as he does chest compressions.

  
-3, 4, 5-

  
A few stray thoughts mix in with the Bee Gees. It occurs to Galo that he’s kind of scared. Which makes sense, considering what’s happening right now. But he’s saved more people from drowning than he can count on one hand. Like, seven. It’s never been a big deal. Just comes along with the job description.

  
-17, 18, 19-

  
Maybe Lucia is finally getting to him. She’s always bringing up how if any of them mess up, someone could… you know. Die. 

But they could just die anyways. People do that. 

Whenever he brings that up, she gives him a wicked grin and says “Yeah, but you’ll never know if you could’ve saved them.” Then goes back to crunching her Hot Cheetos like nothing happened.

He hates it when she does that. 

Galo exhales in frustration and launches back into the chorus.

  
-25, 26, 27- 

  
It also doesn’t help that she calls CPR ‘making out for medical purposes.’

  
-30-

  
Speaking of which.

Galo gently tilts Lio’s chin upwards and pinches his nose shut. 

The cold air turns Galo’s mouth and chest to ice as he inhales deeply.

Leaning down, he presses his lips against Lio’s. He watches Lio’s chest rise as they share the same breath.

He breaks for more air.

“Come on, stay with me,” he mutters, before plunging into more breaths and starting another round of compressions. 

He isn’t sure how many cycles he goes through. Enough to get sick of Stayin’ Alive. 

As Galo is about to switch to another song (he pushes the idea of Another One Bites The Dust out of his head frantically), a gasp escapes Lio’s lips. Doubling over, he coughs up seawater. 

“911 person, he’s conscious!” It takes everything in Galo to keep from yelling into the phone. His hand presses on Lio’s back as he starts to breathe evenly.

“Hey buddy,” Galo says, careful to keep his voice calm. Dazed purple eyes look at him, not fully aware of what they’re seeing. 

“Wh...Galo?” Galo didn’t think Lio would remember him. 

“The one and only! You okay? That was one gnarly wipeout.” Lio nods before wincing. Hand gravitating towards his forehead, his face turns a shade paler when his fingers return red. 

“Ugh. Shit.” His voice is dry and raspy; Galo wishes he had some water to give him.

Sirens grow louder in the distance. Galo pats one of Lio’s thin shoulders as he looks towards the street.

“Don’t worry, everything’s gonna be okay. Here,” Galo hands him the slightly bloody shirt, “this’ll help stop the bleeding.” 

A spark of amusement flashes across Lio’s face as he seems to begin processing more of his surroundings. 

“Well I guess that explains why you’re half-naked on a cold beach.” Galo crosses his arms over his chest and juts out his bottom lip. Now that the adrenaline is beginning to wear off, he’s become painfully aware of the temperature. 

“You think I do this for fun?! It’s freezing!” Lio’s laugh comes out as a short wheeze.

“Everybody has their hobbies. Though I can’t judge, since apparently mine is drowning.” The ambulance is at the curb. By this point, the sirens are too loud to talk over. They’re giving Galo a headache.

Lio stands slowly with a grimace. At Galo’s concerned look, he flashes a thumbs-up. They walk up to the street together, Galo grabbing his jacket on the way. 

The rest seems to go by in a times-two speed blur after the eternity that was waiting for Lio to wake up. 

Galo waves at the ambulance as it drives away.

* * *

  
Light streams through the open curtains, nearly blinding Lio. He shoves his hands over his eyes with a groan. 

“Wakey wakey,” Gueira turns around from the window, smirking.

“Can’t I at least get a good morning first?”

“Lio,” Meis says,” It’s twelve in the afternoon.” He sits down next to Lio.

“Let me see.” Lio takes his hands off of his face and sighs. He lets Meis brush his bangs back with long, slightly calloused fingers.

“It’s healing well. But, honestly,” Meis’s voice has a concerned edge,” I’m surprised. You’re not usually this reckless, Lio.”

Gueira rests his chin on the top of Meis’s head. 

“Uh huh. I may be stupid impulsive, but even I know that was a terrible idea.” 

Lio sits up. He doesn’t want to have this conversation right now. Or ever, really.

“Maybe I’m jealous. Maybe, for once, I want to do the dumb thing, and leave you guys to bail me out.” 

“You know,” Gueira says,” I might’ve actually believed you if I hadn’t grown up with your self-disciplined ass.”

With a shrug, Lio jumps off the bed, strides into the bathroom, and shuts the door. Through the wood he can hear Gueira and Meis’s muffled voices and receding footsteps.

Lio sets his elbows on the counter in front of the mirror. His reflection stares back at him.

He can take care of himself.

Hands pull through light bangs, revealing the fading reminder of the incident that happened a few days before.

Except he can’t. Because he had to be saved. 

Pressing his forehead against the cool counter, he takes a few deep breaths. Calm down. Get over yourself.

Opening the door, he walks down the stairs into the living room, where Gueira and Meis have turned on the TV and are sharing a family-sized bag of Doritos.

“I’m sorry,” Lio says, “what I did was reckless and dumb.” The pair look up at him from the couch.

“Damn right,” Gueira mutters. Meis elbows him lightly.

“Ow.”

“We appreciate the apology. But you've got to care more for yourself Lio,” Meis says, eating another chip. Gueira gestures incredulously towards Lio.

“Not to mention for other people! I swear, I almost had a heart attack when Galo told me.”

Galo. Right.

“I want to say thanks to him.” Gueira nearly chokes as he starts to laugh.

“Really? You? Now that’s a riot-” Meis elbows him again, this time right between the ribs.

“OW! Your elbows are so boney what the fuck?!”

“Babe, I love you, but shut up for a second.” Gueira scrunches his nose and leans into his boyfriend’s side, lips pressed shut.

“Could you ask Aina if he’s working today?” Lio crosses his arms. Meis looks up at him and reaches for his phone.

“Sure.” Gueira snags another chip and looks like he’s about to say something, but thinks better of it.

“Thanks.” 

* * *

  
Lio stares out the window at the blue horizon, determined to keep from psyching himself out. Say thank you, then leave. That’s it. That’s all. 

“She said one thirty?” Gueira’s elbow rests on the side of Meis’s seat. 

“Mmhm,” Meis nods. His eye, the one that isn’t covered by his bangs, meets Lio’s in the rearview mirror. 

“How you feeling, boss?” Lio shifts in his seat.

“Peachy.” Guiera looks back at him and grins.

“Ah don’t sweat it. Meis and I first met after I broke his nose with a baseball, and look at us now!” Meis shakes his head but smiles in spite of himself. Lio sinks in his seat.

“That works fine when you’re kids. And neighbors,” he mutters. 

“Love’s ways are mysterious, aren’t they?” 

“Hell yeah babe!”

Stretching his legs across the backseat, Lio slouches against the car door. He frowns. “Love has nothing to do with this.”

“Doesn’t have t’ be romantic love, boss.”

“Stop calling me that.” 

Gueira winks over his shoulder.“ Wouldn’t think of it.”

“We’re here.”

Lio’s eyes ache from the sun. Scooting out of the cramped backseat of the truck cab, he holds up a hand to shade his face. All of the colors around him are sickeningly bright. The water looks like Gatorade. It’s almost as blue as a certain someone’s hair.

Despite the distance, Lio recognizes Galo instantly. He’s leaning with one arm on the rail of the number 3 lifeguard tower, talking to a short blonde with space buns. The girl says something to him; Galo throws back his head and laughs. The sound carries across the sand, and something in Lio’s chest tightens. For a second, he finds himself wishing he could make Galo that happy.

Which doesn’t make sense. They don't even know each other.

There’s a light nudge at his shoulder. Gueira nods his chin towards the lifeguard tower, where it seems Galo has spotted them and is now jogging over.

“Hey,” Galo greets the three of them. He turns to Lio, smiling down at him, “Doing okay?” 

Oh hell, his eyes are so pretty in the sunlight. Lio musters the willpower to focus on answering.

“Fine. Just needed a couple stitches.” 

“Does it still hurt at all?”

“Not really.” Lio’s fingers tighten on his jacket sleeves, suddenly extremely aware of the dull aches and pains left over by his run-in with the ocean floor. Galo leans back, thumbs hooked in the pockets of his red swim trunks.

“Good to hear!” He takes a moment to think. 

“Oh hey,” Galo says as he runs a hand through his windswept hair, “A few of us are going for pizza. You guys wanna come with?”

Lio sends the pair a look that roughly translates to “fuck no.” Gueira, glancing back with a “fuck yes,” drapes a freckled arm across Meis’s shoulders.

“Sure, pizza sounds rad. Meis?”

“I’m down.”

The only person left unaccounted for is Lio. Galo looks at him, wearing a clearly hopeful expression.

Lio sighs. He can’t really say no. Especially not to a face like that.

“Yeah.” With the way Galo’s face lights up, you’d think he’d just won the lottery.

Lio still isn’t sure what to think of him. There’s no way he’s genuinely that nice. It’s just not realistic. He’s already social and helpful and athletic and unreasonably handsome- 

Lio cuts the thought short.

“Wicked, fresh meat!” The short girl from earlier materializes next to Galo with a toothy grin.

“This is Lucia. Lucia,” Galo says, patting the top of her head before she swats his hand away, “These are Gueira, Meis, and Lio. Be nice to them.”

“No promises pal. But,” Lio’s seen that expression enough to know where this is going, “it might help your chances if you pay for my lunch.”

“For the last time, I’m not bribing you to be a decent person Lulu.” 

“Think of it more as compensation for letting you call me ‘Lulu’ without stealing your kneecaps.” 

Galo hums, in thought.

“Yeah, that’s fair I guess. But if I do, you can’t raid my snack drawer anymore.” 

“Bullshit.” 

“Language,” Galo says jokingly, eyes wandering to watch a flock of pelicans fly over the water. 

“You’re no fun at all, Galo Thermos.”

* * *

  
Chairs scrape against the floor. The four of Galo’s friends sit down. Lio recognizes Aina, and knows Lucia. According to Galo’s introductions, the other two men, a thin and serious guy wearing glasses and a tall dude in a snapback who’s built like a brick wall, are Remi and Varys respectively. 

Lio sits on the emptier far side of the table next to Meis, who’s listening to Aina tell the group about some car trouble she’s been having. 

Content with the relative quiet, Lio rests his chin in his hand and reads the menu. 

“Can I sit here?” Lio nods, focus directed towards the wide variety of pizzas. He didn’t know it was possible for this many types of round cheesy sauce bread to exist. 

Someone pulls out the chair across from him. A long leg bumps into his.

"Ah, my bad." 

"It's fine," Lio looks up to see Galo leaning back in his chair. Then, back to the seat at the head of the table that he had expected Galo to choose.

"Don’t you want to sit with your friends?” Galo shrugs with a relaxed smile.

“I see them all the time. I’d like to get to know you!” Raising his hands, he qualifies, "Only if you're okay with it though. I know you've got the whole 'quiet and mysterious' thing going on." 

Lio searches his voice and expression for any sort of hostility. But there's no sarcastic edge, only the usual disarming enthusiasm. 

Shifting in his seat, Lio glances over at his friends, who are both engaged in their respective discussions. He kind of owes it to Galo, he supposes. 

“Shoot.” Galo gets that look on his face again. Like an excited puppy. It’s cute. 

“Okay, wanna start from the beginning?”

“I guess.”

“I’m Galo Thymos, lifeguard extraordinaire. I like the color red, working out, and talking, obviously.”

“Lio Fotia… purple is nice. And black.” 

“And what do you do, Lio Fotia?” Gueira, who’s been half-listening, decides to grace the conversation with his meddling.

“Ohoh, you’re gonna love this,” he laughs, a mischievous glint in his eyes. Lio shoots a cool glare back.

“You wanna know what he is? A fuckin’ lifeguard! I,” Gueira wheezes,” I mean, the jokes write themselves!”

The table erupts at that. Lio massages his temple.

Lucia gawks before laughing. “No way. Little lifeguard almost drowned?” 

"Well that's ironic," Remi says behind his hand.

The front two legs of Galo's chair thump on the floor as he sits up and rests his elbows on the table. Ignoring the noise at the other end of the table, he looks at Lio with wide eyes.

“For real?” Lio offers a weak smirk.

“Yeah.” Galo grins at him.

"That's so cool, we’re lifeguard buddies! Where do you work?" 

"Pool at the Twelve Palms Hotel. It's why my hair is green."

Galo processes before admitting defeat. "...Huh?" 

"Chlorine."

"Oh, duh! That makes sense!" Galo chuckles and Lio can't help but feel warmth fill his chest. 

"Please don't feel too bad though, about the whole wipeout thing," Lio looks up from the table to meet his surprisingly serious gaze, "the ocean does whatever it wants. We're just along for the ride, y'know?"

Lio blinks. He knows Galo is more than a thoughtless goof-off, but the weight behind his words is a bit startling.

"Mhm. I’ll be fine though. It’s not the first time I’ve made a risky decision. Normally I’m just smart enough to keep those two around,” he jerks a thumb towards Gueira and Meis,” in case things go south.” 

“Though usually it's him keeping us out of trouble," Meis says, briefly breaking away from his conversation. The draw of his eyebrows is not lost on Lio.  
  
Well, he supposes that if he’s going to be reckless and impulsive, it might as well be for a good cause. Namely, his social life. Lio pushes past his doubt and holds Galo’s gaze.

"Once my forehead heals, do you want to go surfing with us?"

"Oh, uh…" The silence stretches on long enough that Lio decides to backtrack.

"If you surf, that is. Gueira said you give off 'major surfer vibes,’ but he’s also generally wrong about things.” Galo takes another bite of his pizza and smiles while he chews.

“Nah, he’s right. I’m just… kinda rusty. Haven’t been out for a few months.” 

“You don’t have to say yes if you’re not comfortable,” Lio says. Galo waves his hands.

“No no, I’d love to! I’ll just probably sit out on my board and watch you guys.”

“Make sure I don’t drown again?” Galo meets Lio’s sarcasm with a genuine smile.

“Sure, it's a date!” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> howdy folks! it has been ... way too long. school has been A Lot, I just started track and field, and writing has been a... painful process at times (I will beat you, self-doubt and writers block!!) It's my goal to finish chapters faster than my last hiatus.
> 
> I love you all a ton and I'm so honored that you like my work!
> 
> Also! I got fanart?? :')

**Author's Note:**

> Confession time: I've never really written fanfic before. If I could be doing anything better please feel free to let me know !
> 
> I just want to be up front about the fact that there probably won't be a whole lot of romance and the like. Sorry about that! I'd like to focus more on how characters get along with each other and work through their emotions. This is very much a personal de-stressing type project ;0
> 
> Twitter where I post art (mostly Promare): @smply_sktchng


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